Witkoff Calls Putin Humanitarian, Faces GOP Backlash | JQJO

The legendary studio behind Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic announced that it is closing and that early development on the next Mass Effect game is ending. The announcement came minutes after Bloomberg reported 400 job cuts at Electronic Arts, including 50 at BioWare. EA said it was “making deliberate choices to align talent and investments where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long‑term growth.” BioWare, founded in 1995 and acquired by EA in 2007, has faced a series of high‑profile departures and mixed‑review titles in recent years. The studio’s closure marks the end of more than three decades of shared adventures.

Maryland dismissed long‑time head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday after a 2‑5 start to the 2026 season. The Terrapins fell 37‑30 to Rutgers in their homecoming game at SECU Stadium. Athletic director Jim Smith said the decision was made after thoughtful conversations with Locksley and was in the best interest of both the coach and the program. Locksley, who began coaching Maryland in December 2018, finished with a 39‑54 record over seven-plus seasons. The school will begin a search for a replacement immediately. Locksley will receive a $9.75 million buyout; he earned $6.4 million this season. Maryland is the first Power Four program to fire its head coach this season.

A Republican candidate released a viral attack ad that featured the mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton, calling her daughter a liar. The ad omitted that Acton alleged her mother was raped by her stepfather forty years ago when she was twelve. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody in 1978 after her stepfather was arrested and charged. The stepfather was never prosecuted and died in 2004. The ad was first posted on social media on Monday evening, and the campaign confirmed it on Tuesday, pledging to spend four million dollars to air it further. Ohio Governor Kathy Hochul and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker condemned the attack as abhorrent and vile. Acton’s team countered with a video featuring her brother Philip Stearns, describing childhood abuse and criticizing the Republican candidate.

NBC is developing a single‑camera reboot of the 1989 sitcom Coach, with Modern Family star Ty Burrell set to executive produce and star as the titular coach. The new series will follow a legendary coach who returns to Minnesota to rebuild his alma mater’s basketball program. The reboot is written by Daniel and Matthew Libman, co‑creators of Peacock’s Mr. Throwback, and produced by Davis Entertainment and Universal Television. Burrell’s role marks his first on‑screen appearance since Modern Family ended.

Apple has introduced a new Apple Music logo that resembles a musical note floating beneath rippling waves. The design was produced using practical effects: the logo was etched onto the glass floor of a small tank, filled with mineral oil, and a transparent cover was placed over it. An instrument played a short series of tones, causing the oil to ripple, and the resulting footage was filmed. The project was a collaboration between Apple, music producer Fred Again and NEST Acoustics, with the goal of translating sound into a visually striking wave.

The Penguin showrunner and executive producer Lauren LeFranc is reportedly in talks to join the new Poison Ivy‑focused television series from Warner Bros. and DC Comics as a producer. The project is being developed by Warner Bros. and DC Comics, with LeFranc’s involvement still under discussion.

SpaceX plans to launch its 15th Starship test flight in November from Starbase in South Texas. During an earnings call, Elon Musk and COO Gwynne Shotwell said the company will attempt to catch both the Super Heavy first stage and the Starship upper stage on the same flight, a maneuver that would land the vehicle back at the launch site over land, including northern Mexico. Shotwell noted that the FAA license for Flight 15 will cover the return‑to‑launch‑site and tower‑catch requirements. After this test, SpaceX intends to refly a Starship upper stage early next year and conduct a Starship‑to‑Starship refueling demonstration in early 2027 to validate orbital refueling for lunar missions.

Meta was ordered to pay twenty‑five billion dollars in penalties by a New Mexico court. The judgment stems from a data privacy case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal that erupted in 2018. A jury in Santa Fe found Meta liable for over forty‑three million violations of the state’s unfair practices act. The state originally awarded two hundred nineteen point five billion dollars, but the judge reduced the fine to twenty‑five billion dollars. Interest will accrue at fifteen percent annually until the fine is paid.